“The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.” Isaiah 14:7

“Midst the falling leaves of old-time faiths, above the frozen crust of creed and dogma, the divine Mind-force, filling all space and having all power, upheaves the earth. In sacred solitude divine Science evolved nature as thought, and thought as things. This supreme potential Principle reigns in the realm of the real, and is “God with us,” the I AM.
As mortals awake from their dream of material sensation, this adorable, all-inclusive God, and all earth’s hieroglyphics of Love, are understood; and infinite Mind is seen kindling the stars, rolling the worlds, reflecting all space and Life, - but not life in matter. Wisely governing, informing the universe, this Mind is Truth, - not laws of matter. Infinitely just, merciful, and wise, this Mind is Love, - but not fallible love” Miscellaneous Writings, MB Eddy

on this earth day
this day on earth
let the waters
that flow through me
the waters of my thoughts
heart
hands
feet
be rivers
of kindness
washing
spilling
overflowing
anointing
perpetual praise

may this ground
of my heart
my thoughts
never be hardened
to growth
ever patient
inadvertently joyful
living to give

may the air
of my heart, my thoughts
be breath
sweet
clean
gentle
purifying:
antidote to bitterness, fear and greed

may this ocean
of my heart
my thoughts
be bottomless refuge
of assurance-
give way
to tiny fingers,
carry without effort
the largest load

may the skies within me,
heart and thought,
be tireless dispellers of the dark-
each impartial
borderless glance of light shining the
earth into sharp relief-release:
the whole world, earth, universe, each,
tenderly held in divine Love’s infinite hands

is there a storm brewing?
floods of fear
waves of rage
hateful righteousness
reaching a boiling point?

we are being called

not to be barometer
for world currents:
suggestion, projection,
manipulation

but to sift real
from unreal
to heed the
still small voice within **2

Elijah heard it
on the mountain
as he faced
wind
earthquake
fire

and right there—
he heard
the still small voice
of God

stilling the storm
lighting the dark—
peace breaking through

suddenly the world
is seen
as God sees:
safe, intact, assured.

II.
today,
instead of railing,
wondering,
blaming,
being transfixed
by portent of the times

we could,
like Elijah,
make our way higher,
find the center of our hearts—
not turn away,
but turn towards
the face of God

and there in some hush
an assurance—
insistent stillness—
hear, see, feel God, good
embracing the universe
in impartial, impervious
tenderness

here is where we see the face of the sky
discern the real signs of the times
storms find their stillness
fires burn but do not consume
the earth moves in wonder
all things are safe, intact, assured
everything about us
sings for joy.

Pilgrim on earth, home and heaven are within thee,
Heir of the ages and child of the day.
Cared for, watched over, beloved and protected,
Walk thou with courage each step of the way. (Christian Science Hymnal P.M.)

the other day i got news that a friend’s daughter had passed on. so i sent a note, and this was part of the letter that came in return:

“The ospreys are crying plaintively. They seem to understand.”

everything in me had to rise up to hold back the sea of sorrow. then i came across this poem by Mary Oliver:

Count the Roses

Count the roses, red and fluttering.
Count the roses, wrinkled and salt.
Each with its yellow lint at the center.
Each with its honey pooled and ready.
Do you have a question that can’t be answered?
Do the stars frighten you by their heaviness
and their endless number?
Does it bother you, that mercy is so difficult to
understand?
For some souls it’s easy; they lie down on the sand
and are soon asleep.
For others, the mind shivers in its glacial palace,
and won’t come.
Yes, the mind takes a long time, is otherwise occupied
than by happiness, and deep breathing.
Now, in the distance, some bird is singing.
And now I have gathered six or seven deep red,
half-opened cups of petals between my hands,
and now I have put my face against them
and now I am moving my face back and forth, slowly,
against them.
The body is not much more than two feet and a tongue.
Come to me, says the blue sky, and say the word.
And finally even the mind comes running, like a wild thing,
and lies down in the sand.
Eternity is not later, or in any unfindable place.Roses, roses, roses, roses.

there is nothing like poetry

just nothing like it

when it comes to carving out the spaces of our hearts

to find a place to breathe

to hear

to know past knowing

to grasp the things

so far beyond

our grasp

and then there they are

hovering ever so softly

in the midst

opening inner eyes

to glean

to glimpse

life

timeless

never not present

none of us

missing

diminished

cut short

but shining out

in sharp relief

our reference

our Source

compelling

life

on eternity’s

terms

“not later

or in any unfindable place”

but dawning up

from the very midst

breaking through the winters

of grief

to see our lives

whole

and holy

in ever tender

illuming

glances

ushering

ushering

ushering

each other on

the air

resonating

its all presence

all accounted for

all conscious

of being

forever

loved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.” Luke 24

“O come and find, the Spirit saith,
The Truth that maketh all men free.
The world is sad with dreams of death.
Lo, I am Life, come unto Me.” Elizabeth Adams

“May the great Shepherd that “tempers the wind to the shorn lamb,”
and binds up the wounds of bleeding hearts, just comfort,
encourage, and bless all who mourn.” Mary Baker Eddy

“I was swimming this afternoon—weeping and swimming, which is something I haven’t done for a while, and trying to get myself together. I was struggling with my fears and my anger and my profound sadness, and then I started to focus just on the swimming. The slow, steady passage through the water–as if I was shedding an outer skin as I dove down into the water with each new breath. And then I had this feeling: “this is unconditional love” and I felt a completely impersonal calm. I had a similar feeling last night as if the pain was slipping further away and an impersonal calm held me in the balance.”

I’ve been thinking so much about friends, family—people all over the world experiencing profound change, sometimes severe challenges, and hard won renewal that comes with seeking and yielding to deeper answers.

today i came across this passage from Psalms…it’s one i’ve read too many times to count. but today it spoke differently to me.

why art thou cast down o my soul?

and why art thou disquieted within me?

hope thou in God for i shall yet praise Him

who is the health of my countenance and my God.

too often i’ve gotten caught on the “cast down” and “disquieted” parts…as in yeah…so cast down…feeling so disquieted…ok…now hope in God…and the journey to do so can feel like a slow slippery slope out of the swamp and up a muddy bank.

but today i read it so differently. the words nearly jumped off the page at me. “WHY are you cast down? WHY disquieted? almost as if to say, how you can be? you know where your hope lies! you shall, will, cannot be deprived of praising the infinite goodness of God, the source and presence of all life and peace and health and joy right here.”

it made me think of Kate Wolf’s song “you must give yourself to love…”

and made me ask…what am I giving my thoughts, my moments to?

for me disquiet is really about mental neutrality–an absence of real thinking, conscious clarity, a lulling, a passive acceptance of whatever thought comes my way…a state of mind that invites disturbance, darkness, confusion. it marks a need for awakening, regrouping, as if to say, “okay so where am i at? and what’s really true here? am i just going along with the flow of whatever junk comes my way?”

this morning i opened the Bible to Ezekiel 13:22: “with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad…”

lies…that would blind us to the good at hand…get us to turn on ourselves…doubt the convictions we hold in our hearts…distrust the power, presence and impulse to act on what we know is true.

the next time you’re tempted to feel sad…or even if you feel like you’re already drowning in a sea of sadness…

take a look at where your thought, heart, soul is anchored…is it awash at sea? gather it…gather yourself…gather your goodness…your pure heart…your love for all that is right…rally there…bit by bit you’ll find your footing…bedrock in the midst of stormy seas…you’ll find yourself rising…walking over the waves of doubt and darkness, gathering strength as you go.

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A Christian Science Practitioner and Teacher in Port Hope, Ontario, with an office in Toronto, I am available to help people around the world by working with them remotely and by one-on-one visits at my Toronto office.

A Christian Science Practitioner and Teacher in Port Hope, Ontario, with an office in Toronto, I am available to help people around the world by working with them remotely and by one-on-one visits at my Toronto office.